Recently I was speaking with
a group of physicians at a meeting for the North Carolina Integrative
Medicine Society. At one point, one of my colleagues listed the
25 most commonly reported problems that had been seen at the Carolina
Center for Integrative Medicine over the past decade. Two conditions
topping the list were fatigue and digestive problems such as diarrhea,
malabsorption, and leaky gut—a condition whereby the intestinal
tissues become damaged (often through a combination of poor diet and
stress), allowing toxins to trickle into the bloodstream and compromise
one’s health.
It turns out that a leaky gut
can be closely linked to the top medical complaint of all time, fatigue.
How these two are related, as explained in a report published in the
29 December 2008 issue of Neuro Endocrinology Letters, is that
leaky gut sets the stage for whole-body inflammation and oxidative stress
(an excess of toxic free radicals), and this in turn promotes fatigue.
Chronic, low-level inflammation is also what underlies fibromyalgia
and other medically unexplained conditions. It also plays a key
role in the genesis of cancer, heart disease, and many other common
disorders.
In this recent study—designed
to confirm findings from a 2007 study of the same issue—Martine Maes
and his colleagues at the Clinical Research Center for Mental Health
in Belgium, measured blood levels of certain antibodies against LPS,
a toxin linked with “bad bugs” or disease-causing microbes in the
intestines. The researchers measured levels of LPS antibodies
before and after receiving a combination of supplements that help control
inflammation and oxidative stress—namely glutamine, N-acetyl cysteine
and zinc—in conjunction with a “leaky gut diet” (gluten-free,
dairy-free, and sugar-free) over the course of 10 to 14 months. The
diet and supplement regimen resulted in a significant reduction in the
LPS antibody levels, and this in turn was associated with a reduction
in chronic fatigue.
The results support the view
that leaky gut, along with the systemic inflammation it generates, may
be key factors in the chronic fatigue syndrome. By patching up
the leaky gut—something that can be accomplished with glutamine and
other supplements—and reducing the oxidative and inflammatory stress,
one can have a major impact on this condition.
Why is this such a significant
study? Millions of Americans have an overgrowth of "bad bugs"
in the gut, which in turn contributes to the leaky gut and low-level
chronic inflammation described above. These types of problems
have been a major focus of my medical practice since I opened the doors
at the Carolina Center 15 years ago. Based on our records, we
estimate that at least 75% of patients who come here are suffering from
varying degrees of this problem—an imbalance in intestinal bacteria,
which very often perpetuates leaky gut and fatigue.
A Success Story:
Jenny Rawlings
I’ve just explained how,
by adhering to a diet and supplement plan that helps heal the gut, you
can often recover a high level of energy and vitality. Let me now share
a story of one of my patients who was able to benefit from this approach.
Jenny Rawlings is a 45-year-old
woman who first came to see me two years ago for chronic fatigue and
an achy bodily condition known as fibromyalgia. Prior to her first
visit at the Carolina Center, she had gone to numerous physicians for
help. After two years of declining health, none of the eight specialists
she had seen could tell her what was wrong with her. “I couldn't
sleep, I was in constant pain, my limbs would go numb periodically,”
Jenny recalls. She was also suffering from stroke-like episodes.
“When I couldn't say what was in my brain or the words would come
out all jumbled. I knew I had Fibromyalgia, but I believed there was
something else wrong as well.”
I explained to Jenny that Fibromyalgia
was a chronic, whole-body inflammatory condition that often coincided
with gut-based problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and chronic
intestinal infections. When I evaluated her at the Carolina Center,
I found that she had an extremely severe yeast infection, leaky gut,
low hormone levels (including thyroid hormone and progesterone), deficits
in certain vitamins and minerals, and very high levels of heavy metals.
All of those factors had combined to give Jenny a severly compromised
immune system, making her vulnerable to a host of microbes.
“My body couldn't fight off
anything,” Jenny says. “The testing that was performed by
Dr. Pittman gave me a much clearer indication of what was wrong with
me. Those tests, which were blood and urine tests, were very simple,
and yet the problems they identified seemed profoundly important.
It frustrated me no end that none of the eight doctors I'd seen previously
asked for such a comprehensive panel.”
Jenny then received several
courses of intravenous vitamins to quickly build up her nutritional
reserves and help reboot her immune system. She also started a
regimen of anti-fungal treatments, thyroid medication and progesterone,
and she adjusted her pain and sleeping medications. The recommended
supplements included probiotics, Krebs magnesium, and vitamins B, C,
D, and E. I recommended that she try to follow a gluten-free,
sugar-free, dairy-free diet to starve the yeast in her body. She
also started a colon cleanse and began colon hydrotherapy, because her
colon had become a source of tremendous toxicity. After her yeast
infection was under control, she underwent chelation therapy to remove
the heavy metals. Lastly, she worked with a personal trainer to
build strength and help compensate for her Fibromyalgia.
Jenny says she started feeling
better immediately after receiving the intravenous vitamins, and then
noticed a huge shift in her energy and well-being within a month of
starting treatment. Nevertheless, it wasn’t all fun and game.
The yeast die-off reaction from the anti-fungal medications was severe,
causing her to feel disoriented for a short period of time. “Once
that was behind me, and once I was completely on the special diet, I
immediately began feeling much better,” she recalls. “My brain fog
started to clear up and some of my energy returned. I lost fifteen
pounds that I had gained from adverse reactions to Lyrica. It
was like I had entered into a totally new body, a new experience of
life.”
Jenny improved steadily over
the course of nine months. Today her fibromyalgia episodes are
less frequent and much shorter in duration. The yeast infection
is gone, and her immune system is greatly improved. This winter,
everyone else in Jenny’s family has had severe colds and flus, and
yet she never came down with a single ailment, even though she was taking
care of her family members. “The old me would have been sick
for months,” she says, smiling.
Jenny’s recovery was by no
means a "quick fix”. It took a tremendous amount of commitment
on her part, along with plenty of support from the Carolina Center’s
dedicated staff. But she says all the work has paid off in many
more ways than one, and she is deeply grateful for this new lease on
life. “Last year, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to work
again,” she says. “This year, I’m starting my own business.
I’m not only better but much more educated about my health, my body,
and what it takes to be healthy and strong in today’s world.”
To reach Dr. Pittman, or to
obtain more information on his integrative approach to digestive health,
contact the Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine in Raleigh, NC
at 919-571-4391, or visit the website at carolinacenter.com.
